Dream A Little Dream
by Louise Hargadon
Summary: Oneshot set after Tunnels of Time. Penelope keeps having nightmares about her time in the pyramid of the Laughing King, and one night she just needs a little reassurance from a good friend. Almost nauseating levels of Penelope/Gordon fluff for no other reason than I really need some serious levels cheering up.


_**A/N:**_ _Yes. Yes I have re-watched The Almost Kiss about 9000000 times. What of it? I don't have a problem. I can quit ANY TIME I like._

 _I have become to the_ _ **Gordon/Penelope**_ _ship what_ _ **Audrey**_ _the giant scary Venus Fly Trap thing was in_ _ **Little Shop of Horrors**_ _. "FEED MEEEE. FEEEEED ME NOWWWW!" Not even talking about my love of pizza here, guys. I want a whole frickin spin-off series of Pordon or Genelope (sounds like a cross between a wild deer and an Italian ice-cream) or whatever the flippin' thing is called. I want them to bake edible cookies together and to fake-fight in the pool together and an exhausted Gordon to traipse around on a shopping trip after Penelope who just merrily skips from shop to shop while he complains and moans, so dramatically that Virgil would be impressed, about his poor aching feet and his trick back and then Penny stops, turns round, kisses him on the tip of his nose and then whispers in his ear that they can stop and rest because he's gonna need it for later knowhatimsayinbruh *eyebrow wiggle* AGGGHHH I just need them to get married like yesterday. I am Pordon trash and I don't care who knows it._

 _With love to Gordon Groupies and casual geniuseses everywhere._

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I did not create this ship but I am a very dedicated crewman._ _ **Thunderbirds**_ _was originally created by_ _ **Gerry**_ _and_ _ **Sylvia Anderson**_ _. This new version was created by someone else and I have used actual lines from the Almost Kiss scene in the episode **Tunnels of Time** but really only as reference and for... y'know. Science. PHYSICS! The title is taken from the song Dream A Little Dream of me, originally recorded in 1931 by Ozzie Nelson but most famously covered in 1968 by my idol, the late great Cass Elliot. I only own a very large amount of what can only be described as feels. _

**Dream A Little Dream**

"Gordon?" she asked, trying in vain to control the quaver in her voice. She looked up at him with those huge, trusting yet terrified eyes that were bluer than the clearest of oceans. He almost forgot his name as he gazed into them, and barely heard her ask the question. "Now what?"

Wordlessly, he held her hand. Not urgently. as if to encourage flight. There was nowhere to run. Not in reciprocated fear. Gordon had been closer to death than this before. He took hold of her hand as though it had only ever been made to fit into his own. She audibly caught her breath as he turned her bodily to face him. He moved, as if to stroke the side of her face, then at the very last moment, something made him change his mind and he removed her hat instead. She felt completely exposed underneath his warm, amber gaze, and yet somehow, despite the fact she knew she only had moments to live, she was no longer afraid.

"We only have a few seconds left," he said. She blinked once, unsure of what was coming next. "So it's now or never."

She was sure that she saw his lips move ever so slightly, as if he had been about to kiss her. She moved a little closer towards him, just in case this had indeed been his intention. She would never know for sure. At that exact moment, a moment that was both perfect and exactly the worst moment possible in all the ways she could think of - help finally arrived. She gazed at the curve of Gordon's jawline and throat for a split second before also looking up towards the top of the crumbling pyramid.

"We're being rescued!" Gordon declared. "Everyone hold onto me tight," he ordered, before curiously dropping his voice an octave. "For your safety," he added. Penelope didn't know if it was the wobbling ground below or the way he'd just said his last three words, but she felt her knees start to buckle underneath her. She obediently slipped her hand around his waist and found herself protectively, yet comfortably held in Gordon's strong arms. Her grip tightened as she felt her feet being lifted from the floor. They were going to live. They were going to _live_. That big-headed, lumpy-elbowed, oversized puppy-dog had saved them. If only her beating heart would be still for a moment while she regained her composure.

Her stomach lurched as she heard a snap. She looked up at Gordon and clung more tightly to him than ever.

"I won't let you fall," he promised. She could feel the vibrations of his voice in his chest as he spoke. "It's just one cord."

"M'Lady!" Parker shouted, too scared to voice how scared he was. Penelope could almost feel her heart breaking. As if the poor man hadn't already been through enough today. They _had_ to get home. They _had_ to make it. Parker had to make it home again, even if she couldn't.

Another cord snapped and she couldn't control the scream that sprang from her mouth. Gordon's grip tightened on her, she winced a little as she felt his fingertips digging into her side. "I won't let you fall," he repeated. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. She knew. She knew that this was it.

 _ **~SNAP~**_

Penelope could hear Parker's cry of fright slowly get softer and softer as he fell further and further away from her. She buried her face completely into Gordon's chest and clung on for dear life, too afraid to look upon either Parker's or her own doom.

"Gordon!" she shouted, her voice muffled by the fabric of his uniform.

"I've got you," he whispered into her hair. She could feel the rocks falling closer around them, it was now only a matter of moments before she would feel Gordon's heart beat for the last time. She could hardly bear the thought that it would ever stop.

 _ **~SNAP~**_

Penelope's eyes opened and she gasped in fright. For a moment she was disoriented, but soon realised that she was in bed.

"Another nightmare," she mumbled to nobody in particular.

She lay in bed, rigid with a completely irrational fear, for what felt like an hour but was only five minutes or so, before slowly sitting up in bed. When she finally felt brave enough, she tentatively reached across to switch her bedside lamp on.

"Deep breaths, Penelope," she muttered to herself, consciously trying to control her breathing. In through the nose. Hold it for a moment. Slowly, slowly out through the mouth. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Slowly. Always slowly. Keep breathing. That's all you have to do. Just breathe.

Although it was the height of British Summertime -and the season traditionally lasted for such a short time that it deserved capitalisation - Penelope shivered involuntarily. Her stomach kept churning. She continued breathing and tried to think reassuring thoughts. She could hear Parker's muffled snoring from the next corridor and she nodded in relief, still too scared and not quite able to smile just yet.

"Parker is safe. Sherbet is safe. I am safe. I am safe, I am here, I am alive. This is real. I am real," she told herself. "Gordon is safe." Her stomach churned even more when the memory of Gordon's face came into her consciousness, but in a very different way. She gulped and continued breathing. "We are safe," she whispered. She reached out behind her and pulled one of her pillows around to her front. She hugged it tightly and buried her face in it. "It's all fine."

She looked up from her pillow and at her compact communicator on her bedside table. An overwhelming urge took over her, and almost without realising what she had done, she called Gordon.

"Lady Penelope!" he began, a little surprised but visibly delighted. "Is everything all right? It's pretty late where you are," he said, looking at his watch.

"Gordon, I... umm..." she said, then faltered. Gordon's brow furrowed slightly.

"You kinda look like something's up," he said. Penelope was, for once, grateful that Gordon was a man of many words - all of them directly to the point.

"It's just, I. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called, I'm sure you have plenty of better things to do than talk to me," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and shaking her head with embarrassment.

"I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing than talking to you at this very moment," he said, even though he could quite easily think of a couple of things he'd much rather be doing with Penelope at that moment that didn't involve intelligible speech at all. "C'mon. Spill it. What's up?"

"It's just, since... well. Since the whole incident in the pyramid, I keep having absolutely frightful dreams," she said. "I know, it's stupid, isn't it?" she added with an embarrassed breath of laughter. She dared to look up at Gordon for a moment, fully expecting him to laugh at her. Instead, his expression was grave and his eyes were full of concern.

"That's not stupid at all," he said, his voice dropping to that knee-wobbling octave again. "What happened? Can you talk about it?"

"It was just a bad dream," she said, dismissively. He shook his head.

"Bad dreams have a habit of staying with you longer than the good ones do," he said, his tone as gentle and soothing as waves lapping the seashore. "I know how they can affect people. I've had my share of them myself."

"We're safe. It shouldn't matter. We should just..."

"What? We should just keep calm and carry on? You can't always do that. Not even in England!" Gordon said. "Sometimes you gotta take time. It was a big deal. It was a scary thing. Our number was nearly up. It really happened. You can't just bounce right back like nothing happened."

"You seem to," she said, quietly. Gordon smiled ruefully.

"Ah, that's just what I let you think. This cool, calm and collected devil-may-care exterior has taken a lotta hard work to develop, Lady P," he said, his grin widening.

"Don't tell me that's all an act!" she said, her eyes twinkling. He giggled and her insides felt warmed by the sound of his bubbling, infectious laughter.

"Maybe some of it," he admitted. "I wouldn't have dropped you, y'know," he said, suddenly. She frowned.

"Why would you say that?" she asked.

"I don't like to brag-"

"Yes you do."

"Okay I like to brag, I'm American. But y'know, I did do a little swimming back in the day-"

"Not the Olympic medal story again," she groaned, rolling her eyes in despair.

"I'm just saying. You may not have noticed, but I have strong arms. They're strong enough to take care of you," he said, smiling softly. "When you need it," he added. Heaven forbid he inadvertently assume that Penelope felt she needed anyone to take care of her. He winced at the memory of Parker, who very nearly didn't make it _into_ the pyramid with that attitude. That was before he had even found the first booby trap!

Gordon chuckled inwardly and wondered why they were called booby traps.

"I remember," she said, blushing slightly. Gordon's eyes widened.

"You do?" he asked, trying and failing to sound casual.

"Even in my nightmares, you never drop me. You keep telling me you won't let me fall," she said. He blinked once and pinched his lips together slightly.

"Any man would be a fool to let you slip out of his arms, Penelope," he said. She smiled broadly and he looked a little bashful. "Ahh - that was a dumbass line!"

"It was sweet. Thank you," she said with a gracious nod of her head. There was a brief pause where neither of them quite knew what to say and Penelope's already frayed nerves couldn't deal with it. "Gordon, umm... I know we squabbled a little, in the pyramid."

"I get it, I'm annoying and I talk too much and I'm full of it," he said with an unashamed grin. "But look at me, I'm adorable!" he added with a wink. She laughed gratefully. "See, I can even make you laugh when you're scared."

"I'm not scared any more," she said, partly just to see his grin widening. "I just wanted to thank you. Scott and Virgil helped but, you were the hero that day. You came prepared and you kept us safe. So thank you."

"Hey. It's my job," he said with a careless shrug. "Besides, what are friends for?"

"I'm glad you're my friend."

"Always," he said, sincerely. There was another vaguely awkward silence at this juncture, which Gordon felt the need to break. "Y'know, if I was with you, I'd've probably taken the opportunity to kiss you at this point."

"Excuse me?" Penelope said in mock horror.

"So I guess it's just as well that I'm not," he said, quickly. "Right?"

"You're making a very large assumption, Gordon," she told him, sternly. He looked a little worried.

"What's that?"

"You seem to think that _I_ wouldn't have taken the opportunity to kiss _you_."

"Oh _that's_ how it is?" he declared with a shout of laughter. Penelope smiled softly.

"Perhaps."

"You gonna be okay?" he asked, still looking at her with genuine concern. She nodded.

"I shall remain unkissed and try to go back to sleep," she said.

"Try some warm milk," he suggested. "With a swoosh of brandy."

"A 'swoosh' of brandy?" she repeated, raising her left eyebrow. "Is this a scientific measure?"

"It's a sailor's measure," he said, matter-of-factly and completely untruthfully. "A swoosh of brandy is about the same as a noggin of rum. Either would work, I guess. It all depends on how many noggins you get to a swoosh in England. I've never understood the unit conversion over there." Despite her best efforts to retain full composure, Penelope burst out laughing.

"I'll go and investigate and make an executive decision," she said. "Thank you. I'm sorry to disturb you."

"You really didn't. Grandma was looking for some victims for her latest apple pie. If anything, you saved me. So I guess we're even now, huh?" he asked, his eyes gleaming as he smiled at her. A warm smile spread gently across her delicate features.

"For now," she agreed. "Goodnight, Gordon. Or is it still afternoon over there? It's already tomorrow here," she said.

"It's almost dinner time. Virgil and I usually hide under Dad's desk about now in case Grandma's decided to rustle up a stew," he explained. Penelope giggled. "Goodnight, Penelope. Sweet dreams. Maybe you'll get that kiss after all."

"Ha! In _your_ dreams, maybe."

"Oh, _definitely_ there!" he finished with a wink. He cut off communications before she could get the last word in and she shook her head fondly at the blank space where his face had just been. She settled herself gently down on the soft pillows, still hugging one tightly to her chest. Closing her eyes, she could imagine their theoretical kiss so vividly she could almost taste it. She smiled happily.

If any thought was guaranteed to leave her with sweet dreams, that was most definitely it.

 **THE END**


End file.
